The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-01-05
JEFFERsoN's TOMB.
The Shaft Erected Over the Stateslnan's
Grave Mutilated by Relic-Hunters.

:
Colonel Wilson, Of the army, who
has charge of the monument recently
erected by order of Congress over the
grave Of Thomas Jefferson, at Month
cello, says that the vandals are already
at work chipping chunks off the stone,
and that if it is to be preserved mile
tary guard will have to be sent down
there. Several years ago Congress ape /
propriated $1,000 for the purpose Of re-
storing the cemetery in which Jefferson
is buried, and erecting new monu-
ment over his grave. This was in the
time of Hayes and the appropriation
was not to be available until the own
ers of the estate gave a quit-claim to
the United States Of a tract Of ground
two rods square surrounding the burial
place, and a pathway by which access
thereto might be afforded the public.
Jefferson was buried at Monticello
in little cemetery on his own
plantation, and his wife, other
members Of his family. and some of his
old servants lie beside him. When the
estate was being laid out at the time he
was President, Jefferson wrote to his
overseer instructing him to set apart a
little plot Of ground as a burial place
"Choose some unfrequented vale in the
park he said, where there is no
| sound to break the stiffness but the bab-
| bling of brook that winds among the
woods, where no mark of human shape
4 is. unless it be the skeleton of some
poor wretch who sought out the spot to
despair and die in. Let it be among
the venerable oaks. Intersperse some
gloomy eyergreens. Appropriate one
| half Of it for my family and the
rest for my servants and strangers
who may die in the neighborhood. Let
the exit look upon the Blue Mountains. "
| The first stone that was erected over
Jefferson grave was an exact copy OF
a diagram he left, and the epitaph was
as he wrote it. It was Clipped topieces
bv relic hunters. "A second one, and q
fac-simile, was substituted in 1851 Of
the same material, which he thought nc
one would be tempted to destroy, be
cause Of it's great value, but during the
], war the soldiers camping in that neigh.
borhood carried it off piecemeal,
until nothing was left but a sandstone
stump. The wall around the little
cemetery was destroyed and the whol
plantation was in state of dilapida
ton. Then Congress ordered it to b.
restored, and, although the bill passet
in 1878, it was not until 1885 that TIL
Secretary of State was able to get
title to the cemetery. The Secretary
I with more Of an eye to the artistic thai
wish to comply with his famou
predecessors instructions, repudiatc,
,, Mr.. Jefferson's model and material
sand instead Of a shaft six feet hig
, |Aof the sandstone. found on tn
7 place, has given.him shaft eighteel
feet high of granite. The work wa
, only recently finished, and Colone
! Wilson, who went down to inspect j,
! has made a report to the Secretary G
State, in which he recommends tina
e some means be taken to protect it fror
the vandals, who have already been a
4 work, and have ruined the monumen
by chipping off large chunks from tn
;. corners. The Colonel says the iro
}! fence is sufficient protection agains
' grown people, for the gate is kel
n locked; but small boys squeeze througg
}; between the iron pickets, and, wit
q hammers and hatchets, break the corr
y ers off and sell them as relics to visitor
J He says the agent at the railway static
q told him that only the day before he a
l. rived two well-dressed ladies appeare
e with large pieces of the stone, whie
l. they said they had hired boy to chi
:: q off for them. The way to circumvel
II the vandals is to hire men to stay 9
IS the place and watch all who come
1t Y Sun i